Beavers hang on against struggling Stingers

Published on May 6, 2004 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Portland Beavers News Release


PORTLAND, Ore. - Humberto Quintero was 4-for-5 and Brian Sweeney picked up his fourth straight win as the Portland Beavers built a comfortable early lead and held on late in an 8-6 win over the Salt Lake Stingers at PGE Park on Tuesday night.

The win was the Beavers' third in a row and their fourth straight at home.

The Beavers, who wracked up 15 hits, scored four runs in the second inning by sending 10 men to the plate and upped their lead to 7-0 with three more in the third to improve to 6-1 this season against the Stingers, who have lost four straight and 11 of their last 14 after racing out to an 11-2 start.

Quintero doubled twice and scored two runs. Five other Portland players had two hits apiece, including Gene Kingsale, who hit his second home run in two games.

Sweeney (4-1) hasn't lost since his first start of the season and is 4-0 with a 1.85 ERA (5er, 24.1ip) in his last four starts. Against the Stingers, the right-hander struck out six in 6.1 innings of work-his longest outing of the year-consenting a run in the fourth and another on his way out of the game in the seventh.

Salt Lake starter Mike Brunet got into all sorts of trouble in the bottom of the second, loading the bases with no outs and eventually giving up four runs in the frame. Brunet (0-2) left the game in third after allowing seven runs on seven hits and four walks.

With the bases jammed and no outs, J.J. Furmaniak started the scoring by threading a single through the left side of the infield to score Alex Fernandez from third. Bernie Castro followed with an RBI single, Jeff Cirillo plated another on a fielder's choice and Ben Petrick's bases-loaded walk scored Furmaniak for a 4-0 Portland lead.

Portland (13-14) upped its lead to 7-0 in the third, this time sending eight men to the plate. Castro had an RBI groundout and Jon Knott added two more runs on a ground-rule double to left-center.

Wil Nieves tripled twice, adding a double and driving home three runs to lead the Stingers, who tallied 13 hits. Rob Quinlan was 3-for-5 with a triple and two RBIs.

The Stingers (14-13) got on the board in the top of the fourth. Brian Gordon singled with one out and came around to score two batters later on a two-out triple to right-center by Nieves.

Quinlan had a two-run triple and scored on a wild pitch in the seventh to pull the Stingers to within 7-4.

Kingsale blasted a solo home run to left field with two outs in the seventh to extend the Beavers lead to 8-4. Kingsale, who came into the game averaging one home run per 140 at-bats for his 11-year career, has two home runs in his last five at-bats after clubbing his first of the year on Tuesday.

Nieves added his second triple and his third extra-base hit of the game in the eighth, scoring Derrick Gibson. The Stingers rallied in the ninth, but would only come away with one more run when Alex Pelaez' sac fly to center plated Riggs.

The two teams conclude their four-game series Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. Right-hander Justin Germano gets his first Triple-A start of his career in the game. He faces former Beaver Jason Middlebrook.

NOTES: Cirillo, who is 5-for-10 in his rehab stint, started in left field for the Beavers, marking just his eighth game in the outfield in his 14-year career (1,726 games). Cirillo played seven games in the outfield during his rookie 1991 season with Helena of the Pioneer League but hadn't played there since ... Kingsale made a leaping catch at the wall for the final out of the top of the first ... Castro grounded into a double play in the fifth, the first time he has done so this season and just the 18th time in his six-year playing career ... Ben Risinger was 0-for-4 and is hitting .063 (3-for-48) in his last 13 games with an at-bat ... the Stingers had three triples ... by scoring in the second, Fernandez has now scored a run in each of his last seven games ... Portland stranded 12 men and Salt Lake 9 ... the Beavers have won eight of their last 12.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from May 6, 2004


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